Town board recaps from ‘Wayland Weekly Buzz’

Tuesday

The following are recaps of recent town committee meetings, compiled from volunteer citizen-reporters, as reported on “Wayland Weekly Buzz” for the week of May 14.

Board of Selectmen

At its meeting on May 7, the Board of Selectmen updated the community on the search for a new town administrator. Current Town Administrator Nan Balmer has announced her departure in the fall.

Last week, selectmen Chairwoman Lea Anderson said Bernie Lynch of Community Paradigm Associates, the firm leading the search for the new town administrator, met with most department heads to better ascertain how the town operates and what’s being worked on currently. This will help him in determining who might best fit the town administrator job.

A forum on the topic held on May 3 was attended by about 15 people, including several selectmen, five of the seven members of the newly appointed Search Screening Committee, and seven citizens at large.

One of the questions that emerged was: Would a new town administrator want to come into a community with so many changes on the horizon, particularly in connection with the structure of town governance?

Overall, the selectmen expressed great respect and admiration for Balmer’s approach to her job, especially her responsiveness and outreach. “We want to have those qualities again,” said Selectman Cherry Karlson.

During the public comment period of the selectmen’s meeting, former selectman and attorney Ed Collins exhorted the board to add to a future agenda the recent Supreme Judicial Court decision regarding the Board of Selectmen and the Open Meeting Law.

“This is the first decision from the Supreme Judicial Court, the highest court in the commonwealth, regarding this board in more than 30 years. Thus, it’s a rare occurrence, and it’s significant for this and a number of other reasons. This seems to me important for you to discuss for the benefit of other boards and the public.”

Finally, in its monthly update to the selectmen, the Wayland Police Department reported that, so far this year, they have collected more than 265 pounds of unwanted or expired drugs from residents, in conjunction with a Drug Enforcement Administration program to remove unwanted prescription drugs from homes. The drugs are safely disposed of so they won’t end up in landfills or flushed out into groundwater.

Conservation Commission

Further to the recent discussion of a commercial dog park on town conservation land, town counsel has weighed in and concluded that such a use would be illegal.

According to an April 30 memo to the Conservation Commission from Katharine Lord Klein of KP Law, the proposed facility, which she said would be operated “for the purpose of enhancing the business opportunities for a private entity on conservation property,” “is not consistent with the mission of the Conservation Commission to provide a place for persons to engage in recreational activities on open lands. The Land Grant rules, in fact, limit commercial activities, except those ‘essential’ to the quiet enjoyment of the property.”

She goes on to say, “A commercial dog run, in my opinion, does not further this objective. Finally, the proposed use would not be permitted under the Conservation Commission’s policies governing the presence of dogs on conservation lands.”

The Conservation Commission was scheduled to take up the topic of licensing professional dog walkers at its May 10 meeting.

Surface Water Quality Committee

The Surface Water Quality Committee met on May 1 and has several developments to report. First, spring water sampling and testing at Dudley Pond showed the best results since the testing began eight years ago. Second, annual checks of raw well water in the Happy Hollow wells for herbicide residue that might have resulted from herbicide application on Dudley Pond have revealed no residuals.

Third, at Lake Cochituate, a model has been built that will help assess ways to filter phosphorus, nitrogen and dissolved solids entering the lake. This model provides the data required to create a Watershed Management Program and to apply for grants from the state.

Public Ceremonies Committee

The Public Ceremonies Committee is planning this year’s Memorial Day events. Chairman Richard Turner reports the grand marshal this year will be Kevin Clark, a U.S. Army combat veteran who served in the Air Cavalry in Vietnam. The keynote address will be delivered by Command Sgt. Major Michael Pintagro of the Natick Soldier Systems Center.

Pintagro joined the Army in 1996 and has served subsequently in a variety of leadership and technical roles within his career specialty of public affairs. His overseas assignments have included missions in Kuwait, Korea, Germany, Romania, the Balkans and Afghanistan.

The early morning ceremonies, between 8:30 and 10 a.m., will consist of brief tributes to veterans at six of the town’s cemeteries and war memorials, starting with the Veterans War Memorial at the Town Building, followed by North Cemetery, Beit Olam, South Cemetery, the Lokerville Green World War II memorial, and St. Zepherin’s cemetery.

The parade will be formed at Wayland Middle School at 10:30 a.m. and the Memorial Day Service, emceed by Turner, will begin at Lakeview Cemetery at 11:30 a.m. In the event of rain, the service will be held in Wayland Middle School Gymnasium at 11 a.m. For confirmation and full details visit waycam.tv/buzz.

Youth Advisory Committee

The Youth Advisory Committee, which met on May 4, noted that the Board of Health and the Planning Board were scheduled to discuss marijuana policy. There was a brief overview of options based on the law and what community members have the ability to weigh in on.

The majority of the time was spent on discussing the finalized state regulations provided by the Cannabis Control Commission, what that means at the end of Wayland’s moratorium window, and the options and potential for what happens next.

WaylandCares

As for summer programming, WaylandCares will once again offer the Empower Youth Leadership workshop during the weeks of June 25 and Aug. 6 at Wayland High School.

Open Meeting Law Training

The Town Clerk’s Office reports there will be an Open Meeting Law training session open to Wayland residents to be held on Wednesday, May 16 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Sudbury Town Hall (lower level). Questions may be directed to the Sudbury Town Clerk’s Office by email at clerk@sudbury.ma.us or by calling 978-639-3351.

In Other News

The 2018 Mary L. Johnson Travelship Award has been given to Debra Pellerin, a fourth- and fifth-grade reading teacher who has taught in the Wayland Public Schools for 22 years. Pellerin was cited for her thoughtfulness and clarity, which have enabled her to teach countless numbers of children – even the most reluctant – to love reading. The award is named for Mary L. Johnson of Wayland, who died in the bombing of PanAm Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in December 1988.

Speaking of reading, Wayland Library’s Spring Book and Bake Sale will take place on Saturday, May 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, May 20 from noon to 4 p.m. in the Town Building’s Large Hearing Room. Stop by and pick up some gently used books and something delicious to nibble on while you’re reading them.

“But I See It This Way,” a workshop on bias, will be held at Wayland High School’s Lecture Hall on Tuesday, May 22 from 7 to 9 p.m., sponsored by Wayland Community for Social Justice and Friends of Wayland Youth and Family Services. For more information email waylandcsj@gmail.com.

Watch “Wayland Weekly Buzz” on Sundays and Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Comcast channel 8 and Verizon channel 37, or online anytime at waycam.tv/buzz. This week’s program focuses on what’s going on at Wayland Town Center and Wayland Village Plaza, with Economic Development Committee Chairwoman Becky Stanizzi and Selectman Doug Levine. Starting May 20, the program will tackle Water Resources in Wayland in a time of development, water restrictions and water conservation. Find a full program schedule on our website at waycam.tv/buzz.